Mr. Maynard High School: Karner earns the crown

Friday

Apr 4, 2014 at 10:43 AM

By Ross CristantielloBeacon-villager@wickedlocal.com

As the lights dimmed in the Maynard High School auditorium, the third annual Mr. MHS competition got underway.Hosted by the Maynard chapter of the National Honor Society, the March 25 competition pitted boys of Maynard High against each other in a pageant style competition to raise money for charity.The auditorium rang with raucous laughs as 14 guys competed in four different categories: talent, costume, formal wear, and a question and answer session. The show started off with a bang as seniors Tom Manning and Brian DeMars attempted to hijack the hosting spots from fellow seniors Lauren Lappas and Tori Phillips. Throughout the night the two pairs would continue their feud with playful banter and amusing chants.The talent portion was the first and as evidenced by the cheering crowd, the most enjoyable segment of the competition. Seniors Jeff Gately, Ryan Fowler, and Sean Peterson began with an interpretive dance routine that featured "synchronized swimming" as well as some choreographed dancing. Later, junior Andre Manganero stood out as he rapped along to Eminem.The costume portion was fun as Gately looked spot on in his outfit as the character Squints from the movie "The Sandlot." Also, junior Matt Caldicott looked remarkably like Justin Bieber when he came out on stage. The night continued with the formal wear portion, as girls in dresses escorted the contestants, wearing their best shirts, ties, and jackets, onto the stage. The Question section featured a bevy of humorous answers from the contestants to trivial questions like "If it could rain one food, what would you have it be?"Then the judges convened and awarded third place to Fowler, second to Matt Lalli, a junior, and first prize to senior Emmet Karner.This was Karner’s first time competing in the pageant, which he described as "a beautiful experience."His win came on the back of his piano playing and singing for the talent portion of the show. Karner has been playing and enjoying music for "upwards of 10 years," but played a song, "Taylor the Latte Boy," which he learned specifically for the show."Everyone’s talents were just fantastic," said Karner after the show, noting he especially enjoyed the interpretive dance that began the evening.The pageant raised more than $300 this year. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to Autism Speaks.